NEW ARREST WARRANT ISSUED AFTER LJERKA ERCEGOVIC

ZAGREB, Jan 4 (Hina) - A new arrest warrant has been issued after Ljerka Ercegovic after the police unsuccessfully tried to deliver to her a court decision on her detention on three occasions, Zagreb County Court investigation judge Mirjana Rigljan said Friday. Ercegovic is the former chairwoman of the board of Hrvatska postanska banka suspected of damaging the bank for some 34 million kuna ($3.9 million). Zagreb police informed the investigation judge that on two occasions last year, December 28 and 29, and once this year, January 2, they failed to find Ercegovic, officially residing in Zageb's Ilica 64. Later it was established that Ercegovic had two official addresses, therefore the investigation judge issued a new arrest warrant. Ercegovic's attorney Ivan Kern said his client was undergoing medical treatment in Slovenia. Kern forwarded the official medical documentation on his client's medical treatment to the judge. Should Ergovic fail to report to the police and appear in the Zagreb district prison, the court may declare Ercegovic a wanted person. However, this will most probably not happen before next week, because medical documents, forwarded to the court in the Slovene language, should be translated into Croatian first. A decision on a month-long detention was passed on December 17, at the request of the Zagreb district attorney office, which also demanded that the investigation, started last summer, be expanded. The former chairwoman of the board of Hrvatska postanska banka was suspected of damaging the bank for some 34 million kuna ($3.9 million) at the instigation of arrested tycoon Miroslav Kutle. Ercegovic was also suspected of abuse in business operations, specifically of signing contracts granting bank guarantees and loans to companies comprising Kutle's Globus grupa corporation without ensuring the collection of outstanding debts. (hina) it